Method of making wheel covers



Nov. 25, 1958 cs. A. LYON 2,861,325

METHOD OF MAKING WHEEL COVERS Filed June 16, lsss 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1722 5277272 6604 66 %w r Zm/v i l fi s.

Nov. 25, 1958 G. A. LYON I 2,861, 25

METHOD OF MAKING WHEEL COVERS Filed Jupe 16, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 METHOD OF G WHEEL COVERS George Albert Lyon, Detroit, Mich. Application June 16, 1953, Serial No. 361,916

3 Claims. (Cl. 29-159) The present invention relates to a method of making Wheel covers and more particularly concerns the manufacture of wheel covers from thin sheet material Such as stainless steel, brass or the like.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of making wheel covers of the stamped or drawn disk-type provided with pressed rib configurations on the surface thereof.

Another object of the invention is to produce rib-like configurations of substantial depth in the surface of a contoured sheet metal wheel cover.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel method of making a sheet metal wheel cover with a deeply drawn annular configuration and producing transverse rib-like configurations across the annular groove defined by said deeply drawn configuration.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a novel method of making sheet metal wheel covers where in the desired configuration embodies crossing relatively offset configurations, and according to which method the material of the cover is so manipulated and worked that instead of stretching and weakening the material, especially at juncture of the crossing configurations, strengthening of the cover is accomplished.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved method of making sheet metal wheel covers according to which a highly polished surface can be provided on the cover in a single polishing operation and certain contour configurations can be formed in the cover following the polishing operation Without spoiling the polished finish of the cover.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a diametrical sectional view through a sheet metal cover member after it has been stamped or drawn to approximately finished shape;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged diametrical sectional view similar to Figure 1 and showing the cover in process of being polished on its outer surface;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the cover showing the same after it has been subjected to a final shaping operation;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary radial sectional view taken substantially on the line IVIV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary outer face elevational view of a segmental portion of the cover; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional detail view taken substantially on the line VIVI of Figure 3.

Having reference to Figure l, a full disk cover body is stamped or drawn from a sheet blank of suitable thin gauge material such as stainless steel, brass or the like to provide a fairly deep draw circular configuration. In the example shown, the circular cover is provided with an annular outwardly projecting crown rib 10 defined at its radially outer side by a steeply sloping side wall 11 merging at a small radius juncture 12 with a less steeply outwardly flaring or sloping intertats atent mediate portion 13. -At its radially outer side the intermediate portion 13 joins on a juncture 14 of substantial radius with agenerally radially'and axially outwardly flaring annular'outer marginal portion 15 that may be provided with an underturned finishing edge flange structure 17. It will be observed that between the crown side wall 11 and the angularly related marginal portion 15 there is defined an annular depressed configuration or groove of substantial width and depth and of which the sloping annular intermediate portion 13 is the bottom.

Since, as shaped up to the point shown in Figure l, the cover has all of the surfaces thereof formed symmetrically annular, burnishing or polishing of the outer surface with or Without plating, is sub'stantially'facilitated. As shown moreor less schematically in Figure 2, polishing of the outer surface of the cover may be readily accomplished by means of an end face polishing wheel W. 1 g

Both for the purpose of strengthening and rigidifying the cover and for ornamental Purposes, it may be de-v sirable to provide the cover with'generally radially ex-.

tending -ribs 18 extending across the intermediate portion 13 and joined to the crown side wall 11 and to the marginal portion 15, as best seen in Figures 3, 4 and 5. Such ribs have the advantage of reinforcing and thereby greatly, if not altogether, reducing the flexibility of the intermediate portion 13 relative to the crown rib 10, but

also reduce the flexibility and increase the resilience of:

the marginal portion 15, without, however, preventing a fair range of flexible deflection of the outer extremity part of the marginal portion 15.

According to the present invention the ribs 18 are formed in the cover by pressing the same outwardly from the back of the cover substantially as indicated schematically by the directional arrows in Figure 4. Thereby, the deeply drawn material of the cover instead of being further stretched and thus possibly ruptured or at least drawn so thin or brittle at spots as to be easily subject to rupture, is actually relieved by reversely bending the radially elongated areas defining the ribs 18. In pressing out the ribs 18, the end portions thereof are merged into the crown rib 11 and the marginal portion 15, respectively, with the ribs extending across and utilizing material from within the concave radius junctures 12 and 14.

It will be observed that the respective end portions of the ribs 18 are merged with the surfaces from which derived on smooth radii. The smooth radii juncture at the inner ends of the ribs with the crown side wall 11 is indicated at 19. At their outer ends the ribs join the outer marginal portion on smooth juncture radii 20. It will be observed that the sides of the ribs are formed as elongated divergent panels which generally converge toward the radially outer ends of the ribs and are at their narrowest approximately over the deep juncture groove or radius 14 of the cover, and then flare radially toward slightly greater width into merging juncture with the radially inner part of the marginal portion 15. The result is a strong spoke-like reinforcement of the intermediate portion 13 of the cover, with the pressed up ribs 18 affording strong bracing for the cover margin 15, as well as the intermediate portion 13.

Since the material of the cover in making the ribs 18 is embossed or pressed up from a fairly deeply drawn and thus stretched portion of the cover so that Patented Nov. 25, 1958 matter may obscure the bright finish of the ribs 18 as an incident to the pressing of the ribs in the dies that may be used for this purpose, it may be desirable to buff the outer surfaces of the ribs after the rib pressing operation. For this purpose respective side operating bufiing Wheels 21, as shown in'Figures 3 and 6, may be utilized. For this the cover may be'mounted to be rotated about its axis, such as counterclockwise as shown in Figure 3 and indicated by the directional arrow while the buffs turn in the respectively opposite direction as indicated by the directional arrows as shown in Figures 3 and 6, to thereby uniformly buff the sides of the ribs 18 as they pass in contact with the operative perimeters of the buffs.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a method of making wheel covers from sheet metal, the steps of shaping a sheet metal piece to provide an annular depressed portion, polishing the surface of the cover including said depressed portion by applying thereto an end .face rotary polishing wheel, pressing outwardly across said polished depressed portion a transverse rib having oppositely divergently sloping sides, and

. turning the cover about its axis relative to oppositely turning buffing wheels to butt alternately the opposite sides of said rib.

2. In a method of making a wheel cover, the steps of forming a series of generally radially extending spaced ribs in a sheet metal cover body, androtating the cover about its axis in one direction in opposition to diametrically spaced oppositely rotating side operating buffing wheels to subject the respectively opposite sides of said ribs to the buffing action of the sides of the respectively oppositely rotating buffing wheels.

3. In a method of making a sheet metal wheel cover, initially shaping a circular sheet metal cover body, polishing the outer suface of the cover body, forming a series of generally radially extending circumferentially spaced ribs in an annular portion of the cover body, and rotating the cover body about its axis in one direction in opposition to diametrically spaced oppositely rotating side operating bufiing wheels to subject the respectively opposite sides of said ribs to the butting action of the sides of the respectively oppositely rotating bufiing wheels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 164,010 Lyon -4- July 24, 1951 118,482 Pedder et al Aug. 29, 1871 311,321 Hoadley Jan. 27, 1885 597,924 Warren Jan. 25, 1898 999,390 McMartin Aug. 1, 1911 1,680,467 Matheson Aug. 14, 1928 1,917,267 Lyon July 11, 1933 2,027,296 Stuart a- Jan. 7, 1936 2,097,101 MacLennan Oct. 26, 1937 2,177,027 Plumb Oct. 24, 1939 2,188,477 Le Leune Jan. 30, 1940 2,378,446 Soday June 19, 1945 2,597,010 Lyon May 20, 1952 2,609,780 Whitbeck Sept. 9, 1952 

